As heat rises, city looks for reprieve

“The jet stream is finally moving north,’’ said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, referring to the air current that pumps warm weather into New England each summer.

If temperatures continue to rise, as they are expected to today, the metropolitan area could experience its first heat wave of the year, Simpson said. Highs are expected to climb into the low-to-mid 90s again in Greater Boston today, before showers cool the area tomorrow, he said.

Simpson said rainfall for August is also way behind in Boston, at 0.15 inches, compared to the typical 1.72 inches by this time in the month.

New England used more electricity yesterday than any other day of the year so far, and even more usage is expected today, said Erin O’Brien, a spokeswoman for ISO New England, which runs the region’s energy grid. “We don’t anticipate taking special steps to avoid outages,’’ she said.

And with the heat came pollution. The state Department of Environmental Protection issued an unhealthy air quality alert for the coming days. Department spokesman Joe Ferson said high ozone and fine particle levels are expected this week. Ozone is produced when sun and heat react with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which are given off when fuel is burned, he said.

Ferson said the level of pollution is not likely to affect the general population, but he urged sensitive groups such as the elderly, small children, and people with health problems to stay inside and avoid strenuous activity.

Boston Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman Jennifer Mehigan said EMS received a handful of heat-related calls over the weekend and yesterday. Typically, she said, those callers had spent too much time in the sun without hydrating and experienced nausea and dizziness.

“It’s just really important for people to realize that they need to take a rest from the sun and make sure they’re drinking lots of fluids,’’ she said.

Just as the scorching heat arrived, the Department of Conservation and Recreation closed 21 of its 27 public pools in accordance with its summer schedule. The open pools will close on a staggered schedule over the next weeks, said spokeswoman Anne Roach.

“We have staffing concerns when our pool and lifeguard staff start to go back to school,’’ Roach said. “This is a decision we make in February, March, April.’’

Trying to beat the heat yesterday, some dipped their toes in the ocean, and others stuck to the shade.

Reclining near the water on Carson Beach, Bill Conley of South Boston said he was lucky he was not working.

“My truck’s got AC, but if it didn’t have that, I would probably die,’’ he said.

Conley, a locksmith, said he has learned to cope with the heat he faces on the job each day. “You just deal with it,’’ he said. “Really, there’s nothing you can do.’’

Downtown, some men walked around with their shirts off, and others hung towels from their shoulders to mop up sweat.

James Price draped a damp washcloth over his head as he relaxed on the steps of the Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street.

“The air gets dense; it’s hard to breathe,’’ said Price, who has hypertension. The South End resident said he keeps a cool cloth and ice water with him whenever it gets hot.

And Ellie Ellerman of Lexington said she was trying to stay out of the sun for the sake of her 2-month-old baby.

“Even in the shade, it doesn’t feel like the shade,’’ she said. Sitting on a bench in the Public Garden, she had covered her baby with a striped blanket.

“It’s tough,’’ she said. “You can’t put on sunscreen. You have to keep them covered, but you don’t want to overheat them.’’

Not everyone was sweating, though, and many welcomed the warm weather.

As she drank a hot mocha in the Public Garden, Carol McCarthy, who was visiting her old hometown from Ohio, said the heat did not bother her.

“It helps if you take your shoes off and put your feet in the grass,’’ she said.

Vivian Nereim can be reached at vnereim@globe.com.